Hidden
by Itachiforever342
Summary: A new Uchiha girl has appeared, but with no Sharingan! She seeks Sasuke's attention, but why?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!

New story! Yay! This is the fourth one in the series I'm making! Remember Kirei in the last one? Well, she's been put in this next story!

Enjoy!

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**Hidden**

A twelve-year-old girl with ebony bangs hanging nearly past her chin, the rest of her hair plaited to her waist, looked up at the gates of Konohagakure with her dark eyes. She gave a slight smile as she held a forehead protector in her hands. Her dark dress made her seem depressed, along with her sandals.

The lookouts saw her and called, "Little girl, this is a ninja village! What do you want?"

"Sirs, I was told this is where my family originated and that I should find any who remained!"

"Your name, little girl?"

She turned around and pulled her thick braid over her shoulder, exposing the red fan with white handle. "Uchiha…Kirei."

* * *

The whole village was abuzz at the news that there was another Uchiha who had survived the genocide. She seemed to be the same age as Sasuke, but had no ninja abilities whatsoever. Yet she was pure Uchiha, capable of holding the Kekkei Genkai, Sharingan. She had yet to see him, even though her heart pounded to think of it.

Uchiha Sasuke…the other surviving member of the clan they belonged to, save the one who had destroyed it…Uchiha Itachi. She had been promised by her parents that if she married a member of her clan, that the Kekkei Genkai would appear in her babies. And she would give her firstborn the forehead protector she cherished.

She had inherited her mother's beauty yet her father's quiet personality. She kept herself beautiful: her hair glossy, skin soft and clear, body firm and toned. She used every beauty product she could and ate the right foods so she wouldn't get fat or mess up her complexion. She knew that her looks were her best tool, even though she didn't have the confidence to show off.

Whenever she walked through the streets, every teenage male turned to look at her. She was just shy of thirteen and looked it. Her mailbox was always full of love letters and gifts from admirers, asking from dates to marriage. She eased each into a let-down, one at a time. Yet she was completely ignored by the one she wanted…not that he gave special attention to any girl, let alone her, who he probably hadn't met or seen.

In a village full of ninja, she was the normal one, who couldn't do anything at all. She probably wouldn't appeal to Sasuke at all. He probably liked kunoichi with short hair…light-colored hair and eyes…outgoing and not afraid to voice her feelings.

"Hey, Uchiha-chan!" a boy called to her.

She turned and blinked, seeing that he was from the ninja academy, because she knew that they'd just graduated. "Yes?"

"I heard that you've always wanted to see Sasuke-kun. I could let you meet him, if you…" The boy blushed, bashful.

"If I what?"

"…kiss me," the boy finished.

She bit her lip, and then leaned forward as if to kiss him. But, instead, she kissed his cheek. He opened his eyes, disappointed. He pouted a little, but knew he hadn't said on the lips, so it counted.

"Follow me; I think I know where he's hanging out."

They wandered through the streets, until they saw him wandering towards the academy. The boy called, "Sasuke-kun!"

The dark-haired boy froze, and then turned. He looked slightly nervous. "Yes?"

"Sasuke-kun, there's someone I want you to meet. This is—"

"—Kirei. Uchiha Kirei," Kirei introduced, bowing a little. "It's nice to meet you, Uchiha-san."

When she raised her head, he stared at her, before becoming red in the cheeks. "P-pretty…" he stammered, taking a step closer to her.

He was about to reach for her face, when he suddenly spasmed. He blew past them, out of sight. Kirei blinked, wondering why all he'd said to her was her name.

"Usually Sasuke-kun isn't that bashful, Uchiha-chan. He must be feeling shy or something today."

She nodded, placing a finger against her cheek in thought. "Yes…strange…"

(Her name, "Kirei" means "pretty" in Japanese.)

* * *

The boy whom she'd seen Sasuke with walked her home. "My name is Yuki, by the way, Uchiha-chan. I'm sorry your meeting with Sasuke-kun was so short. Are you a ninja? You look about my age…"

"No, I'm not. But my father had the Kekkei Genkai. He said it skipped my generation and should appear should I…" She turned red and gave her head a quick shake. "Um…thank you for walking me home, Yuki-san. I appreciate it."

Yuki grinned, and then looked at her over-stuffed mailbox. "Oh here, I'll get your mail for you."

She took the stack of letters and packages offered and knew that she would have to check off some of the boys on her list, which consisted of five categories: just mentioned, one denial, two denials, three denials, ignoring. Each check told her what to do if the boy persisted. Some boys were rather stubborn, yet didn't have the guts to come to her house themselves. It was rather annoying, but she was too nice to say so to them. "Thank you. Um…"

"You sure have a lot of mail for not being a ninja, Uchiha-chan. What is all this, anyway?"

"Love letters, fan mail, gifts signaling affection…it seems that I'm one of the most popular girls in Konohagakure."

Yuki laughed. "I can see why. You're gorgeous. How do you keep yourself so beautiful?"

"Um…it's a secret?"

"I get it, you don't want anyone to find out how you do it, especially other girls, right?"

"Oh, yes."

"With how you look, you're gonna be even more beautiful once you grow up, Uchiha-chan. I think the only guys who wouldn't drool at even looking at you are Sasuke-kun and Neji-san."

"Neji-san?"

"Hyuga Neji, he's a year older than us. He's not popular with girls, just because of the indifferent, almost cold personality he has. He doesn't even look at girls, so don't worry about him ever looking at you twice. You look really beautiful, but one thing I might suggest that might make you even more stunning."

"Yes?"

"Clip your bangs back, with maybe hair clips. Do you have any?"

At her head shake, he reached into his pocket. "Here," he offered, holding out a pair of silver clips with sparkly blue butterflies on the thick ends. "I stole these from my sister, but she has another pair so she won't miss them. Let's just say they're yours now."

She took them and smiled. "Thanks, Yuki-san. I'll wear them when I do my hair tomorrow."

"Oh, before you go."

"Yes?"

"Good luck with Sasuke-kun. He'll be a really tough nut to crack. He's never showed any preference to anyone, even the prettiest girls in my year, Sakura-chan and Ino-chan. And they've got nothing on you, believe me."

"Once again, thank you. Good night."

She carried her fan mail inside, dumping it on the table in the front room before going to her bathroom to untie her hair and take a shower. She looked at the clips and knew that she only hid behind her bangs so that she wouldn't have to look at any who she had to reject in person. But now, if she wanted to catch Sasuke's eye, then she would have to appear a little more confident.

Smiling, she got ready for bed.

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There you are, chapter one! Did it work for the new story? Did it suck?

Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!

Sorry for being absent so long, there are so many things to do! After this story's opening chapter, here's chapter two!

Enjoy!

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The next day she got up, showering and taking time to do her hair. She braided it as usual, then took the butterfly hair clips and slid them into her hair, keeping her bangs out of her face. Smiling at her new look, she walked outside, many new boys who hadn't noticed her before stopped to stare.

"Whoa."

"Who's she?"

"She's drop-dead gorgeous."

"I wanna ask her out."

"I'd bet she could have her pick of any guy in Konohagakure, with how she looks."

"Is she even single?"

She tried to keep her head up, but it was hard with all the stares she was getting. But she kept her eyes on her target: Sasuke. He had to be somewhere in Konohagakure, but where, that was the question, since he would probably be training and such with being a ninja and all.

After what seemed like an hour of searching, she finally spotted him leaning against a wall on a street corner. Her eyes lit up and she walked over. "Um…"

He turned to look at her. "Who are you?"

She stared at him, completely confused. Perhaps his nervousness wiped his memory of their meeting. "Kirei. Uchiha Kirei."

He straightened up at the sound of her last name. "Uchiha? But there were no other survivors besides the two of us…"

She nodded. "On that horrible night, I thought I would've died, but I was saved by my barely-living mother, who had practiced healing skills. But she died before she could heal me completely. I was able to crawl to the hospital, only to be told to get away from Konohagakure until the danger had passed. After five years…here I am."

"You don't look like you have any scars…"

"I was slashed across the chest, hit with kunai in the back…but I cannot show you without becoming embarrassed. Were you hurt?"

He lowered his eyes, pain evident in them. "Not physically."

"I'm sorry. I want to revive our clan, but I can't do it alone."

"You're pure Uchiha. It's in your blood to have the Sharingan. Perhaps we'll have to work together so that we can start a new clan from scratch."

She smiled, but knew the only way to help revive their clan, and her father had told her so, the day before the entire clan was massacred by Itachi, the genius of the clan. She felt Sasuke's pain, knowing that everyone died yet living with the memory of seeing her parents get slaughtered before her very eyes… It still brought her nightmares at night. At least she didn't scream anymore.

She would have to marry Sasuke and have his children, but she didn't know how he would take it should she tell him now. They were too young for such things. Being only twelve years of age, such responsibility would be too much a burden for them both, even if they were physically able.

Only time would tell if they were meant to revive their once-proud clan.

* * *

So what did you think? I personally am in Bleach mode because I'm watching a lot to catch up to speed, but I still love Naruto!

Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!

Here we go, the third installment!

Enjoy!

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Kirei spent a few days to herself, before searching for Sasuke again. She found him walking around, as if looking for something. She smiled and called, "Uchiha-san!"

He turned and a deep blush came to his cheeks. "K-Kirei-chan…"

She connected this side of him with the first time she'd met him. Bewildered, she acted as if all was normal. "Do you want to go talk again or just hang out?"

Preparing herself for him to run again, she was surprised when he smiled a little and nodded. "Why don't we go to a sweets shop? I know a really good one not too far from here."

"Oh, okay," she replied, stunned.

As they walked, they talked. Kirei smiled, content that she could talk normally with her pursuit instead of talking about what his main goals in life were.

"It's a pretty day today, so bright and sunny, not a cloud in the sky," she commented, looking up at the object of her words.

He nodded and glanced up at the periwinkle sky. "It's all right, I guess. Not when compared to you."

She felt her cheeks heat up in a deep flush. "Th-thank you, Uchiha-san."

He gazed at her for a moment, before stating, "What are your dreams, Kirei-chan?"

"Seeing as this is a ninja village, and I'm not suited for the life of a ninja, it can't be much. I might become the mother of many ninja because of my Uchiha blood, but that's only a secondary dream, you see. My real dream is to fall in love and revive our clan, although with only three members left, it might be a little hard…"

Sasuke seemed confused for a moment, but nodded. "I suppose."

Closing her eyes, she knew the conversation was going from light to heavy very quickly and didn't want to remember the night she received the horrible scars on her torso, which only her husband would ever see. But, like a curse, the memories of the unbearable pain she felt arose, seeing the eyes of Sasuke's brother, Itachi, as he slashed her from shoulder to hip and when she tried to run, the kunai hitting her back as if to tell her to die quicker.

Unbidden, a scream of bloody murder escaped her lips, and she cowered on the ground, shaking so hard she could barely keep herself in her fetal position.

From behind, a pair of hands grasped her shoulders. "Kirei-san, what's the matter?" Sasuke's voice demanded, concerned.

She couldn't even turn to him, she was biting her lip so hard that it was bleeding, trying not to scream again. Tears escaped from her eyes as Sasuke lifted her chin, trying to see why she was reacting as she was.

"Kirei-san, please, tell me what's wrong!" he pleaded, eyes very concerned.

Again, she felt something different about him. He was concerned for her because of what she'd told him about her scars the other day. She was able to get out between her teeth, "Those eyes…so cold…filled with so much hatred… Before my waking eyes, I see them…feel the pain of his sword…"

"Oi, Sasuke, what's she talking about?" an unfamiliar voice asked.

Sasuke helped the shaking girl up. "What's it to you, blockhead?"

"Don't call me that, bastard!"

"I'm not going to tell you. It's a personal matter that doesn't concern you."

Kirei sobbed all the way to her house, and kept on, even after he helped her lie on her bed, but she sat up immediately when he turned to leave.

"You're leaving?"

He turned halfway towards her. "You should get some rest, Kirei-san."

"But we're two of a kind, and we're both in pain. Please, don't leave me alone like this."

He turned to her, his eyes conflicted. He looked at her once and sat down next to her. Almost as if they were siblings, they hugged each other, Kirei sobbing into his shoulder. His hands were almost slack against her back, but then tensed, gripping the cloth of her dress as she did something unfathomable for her: she leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. It was an innocent, awkward kiss, a first for her, a second for him, although he considered his first kiss not mentionable.

But something sparked between them and they kept at it until they had to break away for breath. They stared into each other's eyes, contemplating the emotions the other had in them. She had longing and the pain of loneliness in hers, he had an edge of lust, much confusion, and longing as well in his. They wanted each other, that was certain, but it was affection through a crush and the craving for company and another who knew about their pain, not love yet. After all, they'd just met a few days before.

"Kirei-chan…" he whispered.

"Sasuke-kun…?" she whispered back.

"All of a sudden, I don't know why, but I have a new reason to live."

"Really?"

He nodded, resting his forehead against hers. "I have to go now for training. Get some rest, I'll be back tomorrow."

"When?"

"Early, probably around the time you wake up."

"At five-thirty in the morning?" she asked, sounding incredulous.

He blinked. "It's not even light at that time. Why wake up that early?"

"That's when I run laps around the village. It takes me three hours to run that much. I like being fit."

"Three…hours? How many times do you run around Konohagakure?"

"I don't know. At least a hundred. I lose count."

His eyes widened. "You have that much endurance and you're not a ninja? Do you jog, or sprint?"

"Through the more crowded areas, I jog, but I sprint most of the way. Is that bad?"

"No, it's just that it's amazing that you keep yourself in such great shape. Maybe I could show you the basics of being a ninja at the academy. I was the top student in my year, after all. If I don't do well with teaching, I can always ask Iruka-sensei to try you."

"Do you think I could actually be a ninja?"

"Perhaps."

"I'll let you attempt to train me on one condition."

"What's that?"

"That you get up early to run with me and if you kiss me whenever we meet and part." She winked, and then blushed with a nervous giggle.

He looked okay with the first condition, but looked towards the window before meeting her eyes again. "I'd heard you had the guts of a mouse, Kirei-chan. How did you gain such courage?"

"I don't know, but it seems that talking and getting my first kiss from you has given me some willingness to speak what I want. So, will you agree to everything?"

He chuckled, but nodded. "Only if you let me have a second condition."

"Okay, whatever you want."

His hand reached behind her and lifted her heavy French braid. "This looks painfully tight. Don't you get headaches from this?"

She shook her head. "No."

"I want to see your hair more free, like in a low ponytail or something like that. Maybe one at the nape of the neck, right here."

He placed his opposite hand under her braid on her neck. She felt fiery tingles go through her body at his touch and leaned forward, capturing his lips again. This kiss was shorter, just a couple seconds long.

"You've got a deal, Sasuke-kun."

He got up off the bed and gave her a last kiss before letting himself out.

* * *

So, how was this fluffy chapter? Or wasn't it all that fluffy?

Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!

Yay! Another review! So happy! This story is doing better than some of the previous ones, that's for sure!

Enjoy!

* * *

Kirei woke refreshed, at five-fifteen, giving her fifteen minutes before Sasuke arrived. Getting up, she ate breakfast, brushed her hair, put it in the recommended low ponytail with the butterfly hair clips, dressed in her normal jogging outfit: sturdy sandals similar to ninja ones, a sleeveless light gray Uchiha shirt, matching capris that hugged her legs, and a white sweat band, and washed her face. While she was brushing her teeth, she heard a knock at the door. She checked the clock and nodded, rinsing her mouth before going to answer it, stretching a little.

With a smile on her face, she answered it, seeing Sasuke standing there in his normal attire. He smiled at her appearance and cupped her cheek before kissing her.

"Good morning," he greeted.

"Good morning, Sasuke-kun," she chirped, hugging him before stepping out of her house and locking it behind her.

"Lead the way," he said, waving to the street. "I don't know where you run."

Nodding, she started off at a dead sprint, him right next to her. She kept her breathing even, not letting herself get excited and waste any energy because her crush was running next to her. It was something she'd always dreamed of, having a boy of Uchiha blood being her friend, and soon enough, boyfriend. And if things turned out right, they might get married and have plenty of Uchiha babies. But it was only the first day, so she couldn't count her chickens before they hatched.

* * *

Three hours later, she stopped in front of her house again, having had worked up a nice sweat. She stretched to cool down her muscles, as Sasuke wiped the sweat off his brow. Her eyes traveled over him, seeing he was barely tired. If she thought this was grueling training, then how hard was it for Sasuke, who was a ninja?

"Come with me. I'll take you to a place where I always train."

They traveled to a forested part of Konohagakure, where he set up some easy targets. He handed her some shuriken, to start with. She looked at them with curiosity, wondering how she threw them exactly. She looked to him and he explained, "You hold them inside the hole with light fingers, this is a weapon you throw quickly, only for throwing. It's not a melee weapon."

"I understand."

"Okay, throw them at the targets and I'll see how much practice you'll need."

She threw them at the targets, hitting close to bulls-eye each time. His eyes widened and turned to her, wanting her to tell him her secret to this skill. She smiled nervously and murmured to him, "Would you believe I was a natural at darts?"

Grinning at her, he set up a bunch of harder-placed targets, and then gave her some kunai. "These can be used as throwing or melee weapons, which can be combined with many types of tags, grenades, and other such things. Now I want to see how well you can throw them at once."

Giving a glance to each target, she calculated the distance, and then threw the kunai accordingly, each hitting dead-center. She smiled and looked to him, seeing the astonished look on his face. "Does that look mean that I'm a natural at this?"

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "At least in this field, you're a genius. Come with me, we'll try your other skills, such as agility and balance. I'll also see how well you can defend yourself."

They went to a field where there was a balance beam, then a rope over the ground. He gestured to the thin board and urged, "Try your luck."

She stepped onto it, teetering a little before walking across it, breathing a little hard because of concentration. But once she stepped onto the rope, she lost her balance and fell off, to the few feet to the ground.

"Ouch."

He smiled and nodded. "This isn't something you're a natural at, I suppose. We'll practice this to perfection before we'll move on to hand-to-hand combat."

She nodded in return before going for another attempt to walk on the rope.

* * *

This continued for several days, whenever Sasuke wasn't busy with a mission. When she got the hang of the taut rope, he led her to one hanging over a river. She took one step and fell in. He laughed at her, only to see her surface, thrashing wildly.

"Help!" she cried. "I can't swim!"

He jumped in, taking her by the waist. She coughed as she was rescued. "You never told me you couldn't swim."

"I never thought that ninjas had to swim."

He shook his head, his wet bangs clinging to his face. "Kirei-chan, of course ninjas have to swim, its one of the basic skills. I guess I'll have to teach you."

Her eyes widened. "_You're_ going to teach me how to swim?"

"Yes," he affirmed, helping her to the shore. "You can't try walking across the rope unless you know how to save yourself from drowning."

Her shy side reappeared, and she blushed, twisting her hands. "Um…in swimsuits?"

"No, in our clothes. You'll have to learn to keep yourself afloat with several pounds of gear and clothing on you, because on a mission, you won't have time to get on a swimsuit."

With redness still in her cheeks, she went back into the water with him to learn swimming next. But the image of him in a swimsuit made her blush deepen. Sasuke…shirtless…that was something she would have to see.

* * *

Their training kept up, Sasuke a good teacher. Soon they were fighting each other, using all sorts of things to try and hit each other. But there was one move she couldn't seem to stop doing, just because it had been taught to her by her mother.

Sasuke collapsed again, clutching the wounded spot while trying not to pass out. "Kirei-chan, would you _please_ stop that? Just because I'm going to land a hit doesn't mean you have to resort to _this._"

She bit her lip. "I'm _so_ sorry, Sasuke-kun, it's a knee-jerk reaction. Old habits die hard."

"But why does one of your habits have to be a knee to the groin? I swear I'm gonna bruise one of these times." **A/N: Poor Sasuke! Lol! I suppose a lot of people want to do that to him these days! ;p**

"I can't seem to stop thinking that it might be useful in a fight someday. I know that in ninja fights, gender is meaningless, but I can't help that my mother raised me to be a normal girl."

She helped him stand up, his legs shaking. "I might have to mentally condition myself not to do it, _unless_ he's trying to touch me in a perverted way. You don't even aim there, so why?"

"I know one person who would try to aim there, and he's on my team," he grumbled. "You could use your defense on him any time you want. He's a pervert and I think he likes you like every other guy around our age in Konohagakure."

Ever since she'd become acquainted with Sasuke, she'd refused to answer any letters or take any gifts unless they were from him. He sent letters if he was gone on a particularly long mission, sometimes buying her souvenirs. She treasured them like she did him, something she didn't deserve. She answered each gift and letter fervently, with letters or thank-you cards doused in her favorite fragrance.

When she'd done that, Sasuke had told her in an answering letter that Naruto had nearly passed out with just a whiff of the stuff. He had also asked if she tinted her perfume with poison. She'd laughed at that, loving what her beau told her in every letter. She used that term instead of boyfriend, which seemed too final and obvious. "Beau" was more of a slang term than anything else.

"Sasuke-kun, what am I to you?" she asked, cheeks dusted pink.

He smiled at her and pecked her on the lips. "Kirei-chan, I consider myself to be the luckiest boy alive because I'm with you. I consider you my girlfriend."

She raised her pinky. "You mean like this?"

He nodded, the smile softening. "Are my feelings returned?"

She gave a heartfelt nod. "I consider you my beau, or boyfriend." She raised her thumb.

He put his arms around her. "I'm thankful for that. You're learning quickly and the only thing left I can teach you is chakra mixing, and I think my teammate Sakura is better at it than I am."

"Chakra? For techniques? But what if I can't use chakra?"

"I'm sure you can, but as you've told me, you don't have Sharingan. There are plenty of other techniques you can learn without having the Kekkei Genkai."

"Really?"

"Yes. I could demonstrate one for you."

She followed him to the water's edge and he did a set of symbols before arching his back and seemed to take a huge breath.

"Fire Style: Blazing Fireball!"

He blew a stream of fire from his mouth, an enormous fireball formed just above the water. The heated wind caused by it caused her to bring her arms up to her face protectively. But her eyes, surprised, gazed at the technique with fascination. Would she be able to do this one like he could?

After a moment, he stopped and turned to her. "This is a basic Uchiha technique. As you can tell, it's rather powerful. Would you like to try?"

"Already? But I don't even know how to mold chakra!"

"It's quite simple. Let me help you."

He helped her with the hand signs and then instructed, "Stop the chakra in your chest and let it explode from your lips. It's all right if you don't get it right the first time."

She nodded and did the same motions as Sasuke. "Fire Style: Blazing Fireball!"

A fireball as large as her head appeared in front of her, and only for a second. She sighed, disappointed. That was nothing like Sasuke's. He patted her shoulder comfortingly.

"As I said, it's all right. I didn't do too good the first time, either. And this is your first time using chakra. You can always try again."

"Okay, Sasuke-kun."

He smiled at her, encouraging.

* * *

Kirei is training to be a ninja, hooray! We can only wonder what's going to happen next, my dear readers!

Please review!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!

Yay, another review! So happy!

So last time Kirei started her ninjutsu training with Sasuke...will she become a good ninja, if at all? Perhaps this chapter will show us!

Enjoy!

* * *

After nearly two weeks of hard work, she finally was able to produce the proper technique. During that, she learned how to transform into things, improve her speed during combat and other such things. No one knew of their meetings because they did so in secret, so no one would find out that Sasuke was tutoring her himself, instead of letting her take classes in the academy or get taught by a chunin or jonin.

"Why don't we go celebrate this success?" he suggested, a gleeful smile appearing on his lips.

"Sure, why not? I'll go rinse off the sweat I've built up with this training and meet you outside my house."

She ran, eyes bright and cheeks rosy in happiness. Her beau was so patient and loving to her. Yet sometimes she could see some pain in his eyes at things she did. Sometimes it was the normal things, but it was often when they talked of past things, before the Uchiha genocide. They'd never known each other, since her family hadn't been as well-known as his. She'd been the only child her parents had, so they hadn't drawn attention. Being shy, she hadn't talked with many of her peers. She'd gone to normal school, but since she'd never expressed any interest in being a ninja, there hadn't been any plans on her being trained. Or else she would've been trained in the same class as Sasuke.

These things ran through her mind as she showered, then got ready, leaving her hair free and wearing a thin-strap blue dress that went to her knees, the Uchiha symbol on the back as usual. As she put on some heeled sandals, she caught sight of something glinting from her over-full jewelry box. It had presents from all sorts of admirers, none of which she wore, planning to pawn them off if they were worth anything. But what her eyes had caught was an heirloom that her mother had given to her on her seventh birthday. It was a silver heart locket, the Konoha symbol on it, it opened to a picture of her and her parents, the Uchiha symbol on the other side.

"Oka-san, Otou-san…I miss you so much…" she whispered, before putting it on.

Going to the door, she took a breath before going out, smiling when she saw Sasuke waiting for her. She ran to him, putting her arms around his neck and kissing him. He ran his fingers through her hair, commenting, "I never knew you had this much hair, and it's so soft and silky. You should wear it like this whenever we go out just to walk."

She blushed and murmured, "Thank you, Sasuke-kun."

He took her hand. "Let's go."

They went at a leisurely pace, it being about midday. But the problem with that was: there were more people to see them than normal, and that included Sasuke fan girls and Kirei fan boys. The admirers gazed at the pair, then the one who was obviously taking all the attention of the object of their affection.

And, unfortunately, their peace couldn't last forever.

"Sasuke!"

"Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke grimaced, and then placed a hand on Kirei's shoulder. "Stay here. I'll handle this."

She nodded, not skilled at confrontations. She turned a little to see a blonde boy with whisker marks on his cheeks and a scowl on his face and a girl with long pink hair and a smile on her face that indicated she had affection for Kirei's beau, and thus, competition. Both had ninja forehead protectors. She took a wild guess and figured they were Sasuke's teammates.

"What do you want?" he asked, his tone a tad impatient.

"Don't you 'what do you want' me, Sasuke!" his blonde teammate yelled. "You've been training with us less and less each day! You've been ignoring us!"

"I do have training I do myself you know," Sasuke replied, his voice bored, as if this was an everyday thing.

"But Sasuke-kun, Kakashi-sensei says that we should learn each others' strengths and weaknesses by training together a lot!" his female teammate protested. "We should train together at least a few hours each day!"

"I know that, but every other day is acceptable."

"No it isn't!" the other boy insisted.

"How would you know, blockhead?"

"Don't call me that, bastard! I'll bash your face in!"

"Just try it. You won't even touch me."

"Why you—"

Kirei, who hated seeing Sasuke having to argue with his teammates, decided to end it. She took Sasuke's bicep in her gentle grasp and whispered, "Sasuke-kun, weren't we going somewhere?"

At her soft voice, the boys stopped arguing, and then the blonde pointed at her accusingly. "You've been skipping out on training for a _girl?!"_

The other girl's eyes widened, and then narrowed in instant jealousy. "Who is she, Sasuke-kun?"

Kirei looked up and whispered, "I'm Uchiha Kirei. N-nice to meet you."

"Uchiha? I'm Haruno Sakura," the girl introduced.

The blonde boy was almost drooling. "Uzamaki Naruto…Kirei-chan…"

Kirei blinked. "Have we met? Why call me so informal?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "I've seen you before, Kirei-chan. You weren't aware of me at the time."

Kirei thought about it, and then remembered the voice she'd heard yelling while she'd been upset over the memories of pain. She winced at that, but made no other movement to show her agony.

"Kirei-san," Sakura addressed, smiling. "I didn't know there was another survivor of the Uchiha clan. Where have you been for nearly six years?"

"Away…from the village…" Kirei whispered, her voice having almost no volume.

Sasuke noticed this as an early stage before she had one of her episodes and decided it was time for him to step in. "She isn't comfortable talking about it, Sakura. It's not a happy time for either of us."

Naruto scoffed. "She seems to talk normally with you, Sasuke. Why is she so shy right now?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I've known her for nearly six months. If you want to know, she's not good at talking with people."

"I can see that, but can't she talk a little louder? I could barely hear her last reply."

"If you have a problem with it, talk to her about it, don't talk as if she's not here. It's very rude."

Naruto turned to her and frowned when she halfway hid behind Sasuke. "Kirei-chan, what are you so scared of us? Am I really that imposing?"

Sakura smacked him across the back of the head. "You're noisy and way too informal, Naruto! The complete opposite of Sasuke-kun! Of course she's intimidated by you!"

Kirei tugged on Sasuke's arm, her eyes pleading. He nodded and turned to his teammates. "I might come and train with you later. For now, I'm busy."

Sakura blinked and stared as they turned away, not hand-in-hand as they were at first, but still quite close as they walked. As if in an unconscious act, Sasuke stole his arm around the slightly shorter girl's shoulders.

Kirei tried to hold herself together until they were alone, but the shaking started, and soon the screams would burst from her. Sasuke rubbed her back, trying to soothe. "I can always do the thing that always seems to calm you down."

They ducked into a side street, and he leaned forward, his lips brushing against hers. Her hands cradled his face, her tremors ceasing as her mind went blissfully blank. "Sasuke-kun…"

"Yes?"

"We're in a spot that's barely concealed. Are you sure you want to do this here?"

"Our normal kisses aren't enough for now."

His mouth covered hers before she could respond. He pressed her against the wall, hands braced on either side of her head. Her face felt hot and silent tears, all which could come through through the pleasant haze she felt whenever they kissed like this, trickled down her face.

Their date was all but forgotten now.

* * *

So when the day was almost expired, Sasuke walked his girlfriend to her door. He smiled and gave her another kiss on the lips before turning away. "I'll see you tomorrow if I don't have a mission."

"You'll write if you go out of the village, right?" she prompted.

"Every day until I get back, I promise."

"Sasuke-kun…wait."

He stopped and turned towards her. "Yes?"

"I was wondering…have you gained Sharingan yet?"

He looked frustrated as he shook his head. "Not yet."

"Oh. You'll tell me when you do, right?"

"Yes, I will. I'll even show you if you want me to."

Her answering smile was bright. "Thank you."

He ran his hand over her cheek before he left.

She sighed, completely happy, as she walked into her house to rest herself.

But just as she closed the door, a knock sounded on it. She tensed and chewed on her lip, not used to visitors besides her beau. Counting to ten to prepare herself, she turned back to the door and opened it. "Can I help you?"

"Hey," a strange, tall man with ninja clothes on greeted. "Are you Uchiha Kirei-san?"

"Um…" She tried not to hyperventilate, she felt so nervous. Her irrational fear of other people in her house or at her door without her knowing who they are came out with a vengeance since it had been silenced ever since Sasuke had become her beau.

"Something wrong?"

She shook her head, trying to keep her breathing even. "I…yes, I am."

"Can I come in? I have a few things to tell you, Uchiha-san."

Her lip quivered as she bit it, but knew she had to be courteous. She opened the door wider and the ninja came in, waiting until she came over and sat before doing the same. She clenched her hands together, not knowing what else to do with them.

"You can relax, Uchiha-san. I'm not here to kill you or anything."

"I-I'm sorry, but I can't help it. I'm not the best when it comes to dealing with other people, sir."

"I see. Well, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Hatake Kakashi, a jonin-class ninja of our village. It has come to my attention that you've gained skills very close to a graduate in the academy. If you wish, you can take the test and become a genin."

She fidgeted, which could've looked normal in any other circumstance, save that it was too often and quick to be just casual movement. Kakashi noticed her extreme discomfort and started to get up. "If you think it's too early—"

"No, no, wait," she assured. "I'm okay, just that I was born with this fear. My father had it too, just that it takes time to get over it. Um…yes, I would like to test to be a genin, Kakashi-san. That would be good for me, since I don't do anything except stay in the house most days."

"That's wonderful to hear, Uchiha-san. When would you like to do it?"

"A-as soon as possible, please. If not today, because if it's any later, I might fake an illness just to get out of it."

He got up and placed a hand on her head. "If that's what you want, then please, I'll take you to the academy to get tested. I believe Iruka will be delighted to do so, even if it's so close to the Chunin Exam…"

Iruka greeted them at the door of the academy and smiled. "Kakashi, who is this pretty young lady?"

"Uchiha Kirei, she's a late-starter that wants to be tested to be a genin. Can you spare a few minutes?"

"Oh, the Uchiha that everyone's been talking about. All right, I'll test her now. Do you know how to do the clone technique?"

She thought about it, and then nodded. She couldn't produce more than three, though.

"That's good. How about we do it in the classroom, since I'm not teaching right now?"

Swallowing, she followed him and stood in front of him and Kakashi. Iruka nodded and waved to her, indicating she begin. She made a standard seal and concentrated on her chakra.

"Replication!"

Three clones appeared, and Iruka smiled, pleased with the results. "That's very good, Kirei-san. Congratulations, you pass."

She beamed, and then jerked in surprise when he presented the forehead protector to her.

"Here. This is proof that you're a ninja."

With shaking hands she took it, bowing her thanks before running out without a word. As she rushed out the door, she heard Iruka ask, "Is she not one to speak much?"

"Obviously. She's not a people person, so when she takes her Chunin Exam, the third exam might not be the easiest for her. But we'll see how well she works under pressure."

* * *

Yay! Kirei becomes a ninja! Now that she has, what dangers might she face with her new career? In the next chapter, it shall be revealed!

Please review!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!

Yay! Another chapter to be posted!

Enjoy!

* * *

Kirei was assigned to a team that had recently lost their female member to a ninja battle. But to her surprise, Yuki was on that team. **A/N: The boy from the first chapter.**

"Uchiha-chan, this is cool that you're on our team!" he cried, then lowered his voice. "How goes the pursuit of Sasuke-kun?"

She just smiled, not saying a word.

And on their missions, she didn't talk much, but didn't freak out. She was just the silent, stealthy type. By the time the Chunin Exam came about, her teacher deemed her ready. The intimidation of the first exam wasn't enough for her or any of her teammates to jump out of it. She was the one to receive her team's scroll, which was a heaven scroll. But the instant they entered, large, bloodsucking slugs fell on them. Kirei was quick enough to avoid them, but her teammates weren't so lucky.

"Kirei-chan…" Yuki begged. "Help me…"

She almost screamed at seeing the two boys slowly die. As the two of them fainted, she ran, knowing they were done for. She kept her tears at bay, knowing that she had to find someone from Konohagakure, even better, Sasuke's team. She leapt from tree to tree, keeping her eyes out for any opposing teams, since she was alone without anyone to watch her back. After an hour, she found Sasuke's group, Naruto going off into the bushes for a bathroom break. She figured out a way to approach them without alarming them.

She transformed into Naruto, but with an obvious difference. She came out of the trees and laughed. "I peed a lot!"

"Naruto, you're so disgusting!" Sakura complained.

As expected, Sasuke pulled out a kunai and threw it at her. She pulled out one of her own and blocked the attack. Before he could attack again, she dropped her kunai and raised her hands above her head.

"I surrender," she said in a quivering voice.

Sasuke straightened up and narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?"

With a pop, she canceled her technique. Both Sakura and Sasuke ran over to her.

"Kirei-san, what are you doing here?" Sakura asked, seeing the tears in the girl's eyes. "Are you all right?"

Sasuke could see the pain in his girlfriend's eyes, but there wasn't enough time to say anything, because kunai started to rain on them. He yelled at Sakura, "Go find Naruto and meet us closer to the tower!"

He grabbed Kirei around the middle and carried her through the trees until they could rest. He looked around and set her down. "Kirei-chan, what happened to you and why are you alone like this? Where are your teammates?"

"Dead," she whispered, shaking. "I…I saw them die…the blood drained from their bodies, it was so horrible."

He held her close, trying to comfort her while keeping a lookout. He kept his eyes in front of them, that it was nearly too late when he heard Kirei scream in fright. He jumped out of the way as a snake bit into the tree they'd been standing on. He knew she was petrified of any kinds or sizes of snakes, so he was startled when the snake came for him.

Kirei, seeing he was in danger, jumped in front of him and threw a flurry of shuriken down the creature's throat. It hissed in pain and fell down dead. Both their eyes widened when a woman came out of it, her eyes locked on Sasuke. Kirei saw those eyes and was immediately reminded of the snake. She froze, still in front of her beau.

"You must be Uchiha Sasuke, though I don't know who your companion is."

She coiled around the branch, coming after them, when Naruto appeared with an attack of shuriken and kunai. "Sorry I'm late Sasuke."

A fight ensued, but Kirei ended up having to take care of both of them: Sasuke because of the mark that the snake-man had placed on him, and Naruto because he hadn't woken yet from getting knocked out. She kept up through the night, then transformed into Sakura, knowing that people would be expecting her to be with them. She'd found she'd had a knack for it, so she could stay transformed and yet do other things as well.

Three Oto ninja attacked, her protecting them until she was bleeding all over. Rock Lee came to protect her, though she didn't know why, then Shikamaru, Ino and Choji, before Sasuke woke up and nearly killed the enemy because they had hurt his girlfriend. She was able to hold him back with her pleas, the mark receding.

When the others left, Naruto woke up and cried out when he saw her. "S-Sakura-chan! I thought you were dead!"

"She is," she murmured, changing back for a moment before resuming her disguise. "I don't want anyone to know I'm not Sakura-san for now."

Sasuke lifted the earth scroll they'd received from the Oto ninja in exchange for their escape. "Now we have one scroll again. We need a heaven scroll once we've recovered mostly from our wounds."

Kirei smiled a little and asked, "Is that all we need?"

At his nod, she reached into the pouch at her waist. She held out the heaven scroll. "I was the one on my team given this. Here."

He pushed it back to her. "You should keep it, since no one knows you have it."

She shivered, and he placed a hand on her shoulder, concerned. "You all right, Sakura?"

"I was so scared that we were all going to die…but I didn't give up, even when they had me cornered. I didn't want to see either of you die when I could save you."

Naruto sniffed, trying to hold back tears. "Your face is all bloodied; did they hit you a lot?"

"I should be fine. I don't think I'll get worse scars than I already have."

They headed for the tower, disabling any traps they came across. They entered the tower, seeing no one else hanging around. Confused, they looked around before Sasuke spoke.

"We should open the scrolls now, since we've arrived to the destination."

Kirei nodded to Naruto and they opened the scrolls at the same time, dropping them when a burst of smoke came from them both. They were surprised to find Iruka standing on top of the crossed scrolls.

"Congratulations, you've passed the second exam," he announced, then explained the poem on the wall. When he was done, he turned to them. "You look quite beat up. Sakura-chan, are you all right?"

Kirei couldn't stand it any longer; she shed the transformation and started sobbing.

"Kirei-san? Why are you with Sasuke-kun and Naruto?"

At once she blubbered out her side of the story, leaving a few details out because she didn't want to betray Sasuke nor alarm Iruka too much. Naruto told his side of the story, leaving out the same bits. After they were done, Iruka considered what to do.

"For now, Kirei-san, you're temporarily on Sasuke and Naruto's team. I will tell the Hokage, if he hasn't found out already." He walked over to Kirei and rubbed her head. "It's going to be all right, Kirei-san. You've been very brave, just let yourself calm down a little before the third exam."

She nodded and took a deep breath, wiping her tear-and-bloodstained face with her hands, knowing she must be a fright because of all the bruises that must be forming. She had to calm down and be brave. She was lucky to be alive, now she had to bring that luck into the third exam.

"Kirei-chan, are you going to be all right?" Sasuke asked.

She sighed and smiled at him. "Yes. Let's go."

* * *

Sorry you guys that I cut out the fight scenes, but I'm no good at them! For similar ones, watch the anime or read the manga! (That's all I can offer you!)

Next chapter, the third exam preliminaries!

Please review!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!

Okay, here we go! Next chapter for you all!

Enjoy!

* * *

Throughout Sasuke's fight she'd had to grip the railing to the balcony she was standing on, trying not to jump in between the fighters to protect her beau. She was relieved when it was done, and Kakashi took him to deal with the mark.

Naruto's fight she wanted to cheer for him the whole time, but couldn't, she would be too embarrassed after. She went into a bathroom to rinse off the blood that had dried on her face, looking a little better although she would have to put some ice on her bruises after her fight.

When she was about to go out, Ino came in, narrowing her eyes at her. "I've never seen you before the exam. Are you really a ninja from Konohagakure?"

Kirei nodded, smoothing her hair a little before turning to the other girl.

"Geez, I think even Hinata has more guts than you. It's probable that we're going to fight, since there are only two more match-ups. Maybe I'll add a few more bruises to your face. Have you seen Sakura? She seems to be missing. I wanted to fight her."

Kirei shook her head and passed her to see Choji fighting the last Oto ninja. So she would be fighting Sakura's rival. She would represent the dead girl the best she could.

Their match was last, and Ino asked, "Uchiha? Who's Uchiha Kirei?"

The Suna and remaining Oto ninja looked around, confused by the name. There was another Uchiha that no one knew about?

Naruto cheered as he nudged her to go on. "Go for it, Kirei-chan!"

Kirei sighed and jumped off the balcony, landing on one knee before walking up to her opponent. Ino scowled, and then pointed at her accusingly. "Hah! I'm going to fight you?! You look like you could be snapped in two by a girl weaker than me! I want to fight someone stronger, like Sakura!"

Kirei murmured, "Sorry, you can't."

The judge waved to them. "If you're ready, the tenth and final match will begin."

He stepped back, and Ino demanded, "What do you mean, I can't?!"

"Sakura-san is dead. She was killed during the second exam."

"But I saw her only a few hours before Naruto's team came to the tower! She got beat…"

Ino's blue eyes widened as she saw the marks on the girl's face. "Those bruises…"

She started shaking, then shrieked, her fists flying. She hit Kirei numberless times on each cheek, blood splattering everywhere. But the dark-haired girl didn't fight, feeling guilty for fooling the girl that her friend was still alive.

After a few moments, Naruto yelled, "Kirei-chan! Don't just stand there! FIGHT! Or are you chicken?!"

Kirei snapped out of her funk and ducked, making Ino overshoot and fly over her back. She raised her fists, not even letting the other girl recover before attacking. She hit her hard on the back of the neck, Ino's eyes widening before she passed out.

"Winner, Uchiha Kirei." **A/N: Cheap, I know, but I really suck at fight scenes...**

Naruto jumped down and put an arm around her shoulders, squeezing her in an ecstatic side-hug. "Yeah! That's more like it!"

She smiled a little, and then winced at her split lip. Ino had beaten her good before Naruto woke her up. She wiped some of the blood off her face before the judge announced, "We now have the ten who are going to participate in the third exam. Here are the match-ups."

Kirei saw her name next to Shikamaru's, the one with the Shadow Bind technique. She would have to watch out for that and knew he was smart, so she would have to study. She also noted that Naruto was facing Neji, and Sasuke would be facing Gaara. She shuddered at the thought of her beau fighting such a powerful opponent.

"The third exam will be commencing in one month, so train hard."

* * *

So in that month, Kirei trained hard so her agility and chakra are higher than before, and also she studied all sorts of strategies, playing shogi with her old jonin teacher.

"Kirei-chan, never underestimate your opponent. Always keep two steps ahead in your strategy. Don't make any unnecessary movements, either. Understand?"

"Yes, I do."

"You're very smart, but lack powerful moves because of your lack of experience. You've trained to make your strong points nearly flawless. Just make sure that your opponent doesn't know anything about your strategies or else you'll get caught in his Shadow Bind."

"I understand, Sensei. Checkmate."

* * *

You think Kirei will prevail against Shikamaru in the third exam? Place your bets because it's coming up!

Please review!


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!

Now comes the match between Kirei and Shikamaru? Who will triumph?

Enjoy!

* * *

So when her match came in the third exam, she was surprised that she was next, since she'd been worrying about Sasuke's absence. She shook her head and took a deep breath, clearing her head of nothing else but the match. She took the stairs down to the stage, standing in her place as Shikamaru was pushed over the side of the balcony by Naruto, falling on his back.

People from the audience threw trash at him, upset that they had to watch a match with such a boring-looking guy. She smiled and drew a kunai, throwing it at him. He dodged, and then ran for the cover of the trees and shadows. He tried to catch her shadow, but she dodged out of his range. She then thought up a strategy, pacing a little and twiddling her fingers. Her eyes lit up, and she leaped, and then did a set of symbols.

"Fire Style: Blazing Fireball!"

It set the forest and shadowed part aflame, Shikamaru dodging by darting out, but she was planning on this. She threw a set of kunai through the remainder of her technique, one hitting him across the shoulder. She landed, making sure she was out of range of any possible captures. He clutched his wound, a mixture of a burn and cut.

"You're good at strategizing too. Good to know," he called out, before activating his Shadow Bind again.

She looked at where the shadow could go, and made another plan, jumping around it and throwing shuriken at him, her aim sure. He jumped out of the way, distracted again so his technique shut off.

This went on for quite some time, plan after plan, strategy after strategy. Both were panting from the exertion and looked at each other. She could see that he'd run out of strategies that were applicable, and she herself couldn't think of any she could do with how little chakra she had left. Her weapons were scattered in places he'd been, burns all over the stage. As if they were reading each other's minds, they raised their hands and proclaimed, "I give up."

The judge, a different one this time, nodded. "Both Shikamaru and Kirei are disqualified."

Shikamaru relaxed, sighing. "That was more challenging than I would've thought from a girl."

They shook hands, smiling at each other. "You were a fine opponent, Uchiha Kirei. I think you'll be an excellent ninja in the future."

She ducked her head and whispered her reply. "Thank you. I tried my best."

She went up to the stands and met her old teacher. The jonin placed a hand on her head and praised, "You did excellent, Kirei-chan. You kept your head straight and didn't give in to him! I will be surprised if they don't make you a chunin!"

Ino then came up to her. "Kirei-san, you did really well against Shikamaru! At least you got a hit on him! I think you're the smartest next to him in our year when it comes to strategy!"

"Ino-san, I'm so sorry about Sakura-san. I didn't know that taking her form would hurt you so much," Kirei apologized, bowing a little.

Ino smiled and placed an arm around her shoulders. "It's not your fault, Kirei-san. Now you're my rival when it comes to everything! Do you know Sasuke-kun?"

Kirei smiled softly. "Yes," she replied, twiddling her fingers.

"Do you like Sasuke-kun?"

This one she didn't answer.

Suddenly, Sasuke appeared with Kakashi. She lit up like a Christmas tree, just wanting to go down there and kiss him. She clenched her hands together, controlling herself. Since she couldn't show her true feelings, she settled on waving at him.

* * *

Another chapter done! I liked this one, but not as much as some I've written!

Anyways...

Please review!


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!

Well, I see someone favorited my story! Happiness!

I have to wonder...did anyone hate me for killing Sakura? Because now all her parts will be filled in with my character.

Anyways...

Enjoy!

* * *

Kirei blinked, confused as to why there were feathers all around them. She then realized what it was, genjutsu. She made a seal with her hands. "Dispel!"

Kakashi was at her side in an instant. "Kirei-chan, I want you to wake Naruto and Shikamaru, and follow Sasuke. Once you find him, stop and wait for further instructions."

"How are we supposed to track him, Kakashi-san?"

He summoned a small dog and said, "Pakkun'll lead you to him."

She nodded and went to Naruto and Shikamaru. She woke Naruto, and then went to Shikamaru, merely tapping him on the shoulder. Pakkun bit him and he jumped up. The three went after Sasuke, Pakkun leading them. Shikamaru stayed behind to hold up some enemies that were after them. They caught up with Sasuke, seeing what looked like a monster fighting him. It lunged at him, Kirei standing in front of her boyfriend, glaring at the thing defiantly as she prepared to protect the one she cared about.

She cried out as it grabbed her and slammed her against a tree, the hand pressing her so hard into the wood she passed out from lack of breath and the pain.

* * *

Kirei woke in the hospital, her few wounds wrapped, and that included some broken ribs. She sat up painfully, just as Naruto came in, Sasuke at his heels. She smiled at her beau, and he rubbed a hand through her hair and smiled back. "You're awake, Kirei. You've been out for nearly three days."

Her eyes widened at the sound of her name without honorifics. No one had ever called her that, even her parents. Tears started to gush out of her eyes, and she gave her most heartfelt smile. "Thank you for watching over me, Sasuke."

Naruto barged into the touching reunion by shouting in an excited voice, "Guess what, Kirei-chan? You've been reassigned onto our team! How do you like that?"

Her answering smile was all he needed to start celebrating. "Yay! We get Kirei-chan in our group!"

Sasuke shook his head, a smile still on his face. "He's always too noisy. How are you feeling?"

"Okay, I guess. Thanks for saving me, Sasuke."

"I didn't save you. Naruto did."

"Naruto-kun…?" She gazed at the blonde boy. "Really?"

"Yes. He's become much more powerful. I couldn't do anything."

"…" She couldn't find anything to say to that.

* * *

Just a short chapter, still mostly going with the canon storyline. Will things be different because Kirei is here? Will Sasuke stay in Konoha?

Only further chapters will disclose that!

Please review!


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!

Sorry for delay, I was busy for all this time! This one is pretty long, in return!

Enjoy!

* * *

Some time later, she spotted Sasuke running straight out of Konohagakure, and ran to catch up with him. What was he doing, going somewhere alone?

"Sasuke! What's the matter?"

When he looked at her, his gaze was desperate. "Itachi's been sighted here! He might be after Naruto!"

"So you're going to go help him?"

"No, I'm going to _kill_ Onii-chan."

"Then let me come with you."

He looked troubled, but nodded. "You might be able to help me."

As they ran to the next town, she thought about what she would do if she saw her parents' murderer again. Would she fight him? Revenge wasn't worth anything to her, since she knew what it did to people. She was a little more prepared to face him than last time, when she'd been a child and he'd nearly killed her.

They finally found Naruto's whereabouts, but when she met Itachi's gaze, she started to shake from the sick fear that came over her.

"Kirei, stay strong!" Sasuke encouraged her, as he activated his Sharingan.

She couldn't stop the shaking, but she ran at him with Sasuke, only to get knocked back by him backhanding her. Hearing Sasuke cry out in pain, she got up again, only to see her boyfriend fly past her into a wall. She didn't stop trying to attack, but was swatted away as Itachi held Sasuke by the neck.

"Weak."

Her eyes widened. Sasuke was weak? He couldn't be!

"Why are you so weak? Even with this pathetic girl trying to distract me, you could do nothing against me."

Getting up, she ran at him, only to get punched on the underside of her chin, falling on her back. Her body was wracked with pain when she heard Sasuke scream in agony. He was suffering, and she wasn't strong enough to protect him! Or even herself! Was she such a pest that this was all it took to keep her down?

Through the strength of her will, she got on her feet, although her body was crying at her to not move. She _wasn't_ weak. She would protect the one she loved, even if it was only from further damage.

With a cry of rage, she rushed at him, only to get grabbed around the neck. She glared into Itachi's cold eyes and gasped as she was brought into a world of darkness.

"You have the persistence and strength of a bug, little girl. You only annoy. For the next twenty-four hours you will suffer through the most traumatic experiences in your life over and over, never stopping."

Her eyes widened as she heard Sasuke's screams in the background as she saw her parents get murdered countless times and yet she could do nothing. She held her head, trying to squeeze her eyes shut, but it was like her eyelids were glued open.

"No! No, stop it! I don't want to see!"

"This is for annoying me so much. Don't try to get in my way again or I'll kill you."

She cried and screamed for what seemed like forever, trying to reach her parents before they were killed, but she wasn't fast enough, her body hurt, her heart hurt, everything hurt.

"OKA-SAN! OTOU-SAN! PLEASE, STOP THIS!" she screamed at him for all she was worth.

Her eyes seemed to dry up because she'd cried too much, her throat closed because of her agonized vocalizing, and all she could was watch, quivering in a ball, not able to stop what was being done to her.

When it was finally over, she fell into darkness.

* * *

It seemed like only a moment had passed, but she was being brought back from the darkness. She felt a hand on her forehead, and it seemed to be the cause of the sudden clarity. What was happening?

She stiffened, and then opened her eyes. Her vision came back to her, and she came face-to-face with a blonde, brown-eyed woman with a serious look on her face.

"Kirei-chan! You're awake!" Naruto's voice shouted, as the strange woman helped her sit up.

"Easy, now. You've been asleep been for a while, so you should stay in bed until your strength comes back," the woman instructed.

Naruto's gleeful face came into her range of vision. "Tsunade-obaa-chan just healed Sasuke too! She's amazing, isn't she?"

It made her tired just to look at him, but she gave a faint smile. She felt a hand on hers and looked over to see Sasuke in the bed next to her. It didn't take any thinking, her arms just closed around him. He did the same, just as weakly. She noticed a red rose in a vase on the table next to his bed, and a daffodil on hers. It must've been Ino checking in on them.

But right now, the only thing that mattered was that Sasuke was awake and well.

* * *

During the day she crawled into Sasuke's bed, afraid he would disappear on her. She put her head on his chest, and he held her close, the closeness making her happy. They murmured unintelligible things to each other, just to hear the other's voice. Usually it was her name or his name. But when a nurse came in, they were separated again, her being put back in her own bed. Yet she kept going back.

After nearly a week of this, the nurse threatened, "If you don't stay in your bed, Kirei-san, I may just have to put you in another room altogether. Would you like that?"

She shook her head, but feeling miserable whenever she was physically apart from Sasuke.

The nurse nodded and went out, muttering, "You'd think those two were newlyweds or something."

Her eyes widened and a dark flush burned in her cheeks. She heard Sasuke chuckle and turned her head towards him, confused as to what he found so funny, but relishing in the sound of his laugh.

"What's so funny, Sasuke?"

"No one else knows, but I am considering asking you to marry me in later years."

The flush on her face deepened in color as she considered his words. He actually…said he was going to make her wish come true! They would get married when they were older! She would have his kids! She felt so happy she tackled him against his bed, kissing him.

"Kirei, you heard what the nurse said. What if someone else comes in?"

Pouting a little, she got back in her bed, but regained the happy smile on her face. All she would have to do was wait three or four years and her beloved beau would ask her to marry him! Happiness rushed through her like adrenaline, making her contentedly dizzy. She was thirteen, going on fourteen, but soon she would be sixteen, going on seventeen, and her Sasuke would ask her the most wonderful question of all.

* * *

Kirei recovered fully first, dressing and putting her shoes on just as a jonin came into her room.

"Uchiha-chan, the Hokage wants to see you right away."

Blinking in confusion, she nodded. When the man was gone, she smiled at Sasuke and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be back later. You can deal with that, right?"

He smirked. "Of course I can. I'm not as needy as you are."

She smiled wider in return, but when she turned away from him, she had a worried look on her face. What would the Hokage want with her? To report on the…incident? She probably had done that with Naruto and whoever had been with him. So what could it be then?

She wasn't prepared to meet the Hokage and several other ninja.

"Uchiha Kirei, from your performance in the third part of the Chunin Exam, the Sandaime recommended you to be raised to the rank of chunin. I consider his opinion very important, so I agree. Congratulations."

She put on the vest, her low ponytail almost completely covering the back. She bowed to the Hokage and smiled. "Thank you, Hokage-sama. I will use this rank well and make Konohagakure proud."

Her forehead protector, which was tied around her head like a headband, she untied and put it around her head properly. She was happy she'd received this promotion, but what would Sasuke think? Would he be mad that she'd become a chunin and he hadn't? This jacket almost seemed like a red flag to her now.

She twiddled her fingers as she returned to the hospital. When she reached the door to Sasuke's room, she paused, not knowing what to do to not face Sasuke's jealousy and anger. But she'd promised…so she had to go in. As she opened the door, she heard Naruto's voice come from within.

"You should've seen it, Sasuke! It was so hilarious—Oh hey, Kir—What is _that?"_

Naruto stared at Kirei's jacket, his finger pointing at it as if it was a diseased part of her body. But her eyes moved to Sasuke, who looked just as shocked.

She pretended to be confused. "Um…what, Naruto-kun?"

He stabbed his finger at the jacket again. "_That!_ What do you think I'm pointing at?"

"Oh, this jacket?" She fingered it nervously. What was she supposed to say? "Oh, I just one-upped you guys"? She felt guilty over her own skills and smarts now.

Sasuke answered for her. "It's obvious she was called to see the Hokage to get promoted to Chunin. Why else does she have that on for?"

Naruto growled. "You would've never beaten me in a fight, Kirei-chan! What did you do to get the rank of _chunin_ when I didn't? You did a whole bunch of running, jumping, throwing weapons and using a single technique, and then you gave up! How is that any better than what I did? At least I won!"

Kirei shrugged, lowering her head. She'd only become a genin a couple months before the Chunin Exam, and then she became a chunin. _Her_, the most inexperienced genin in the entire set of genin that had tried to become Chunin, became what everyone else had worked so hard to become. It must've been how well-rounded she was. She had sound techniques, hand-to-hand skills, and smarts. The poem about the chunin seemed to apply to her the most. She wondered if Shikamaru became a chunin too.

Naruto grabbed her by the front of her shirt, which was her style of ninja clothes, an Uchiha-style shirt and capris that hugged her legs. "Answer me, dammit!"

"I don't know," she whispered, starting to shake.

"What do you mean, 'I don't know'? It must've been something you did in that match with Shikamaru! You didn't do anything remarkable! I'd bet any of the other genin, even _Choji_, could've beaten you! You aren't strong! You only became a ninja because you were able to pass the test really late!"

Tears came down her cheeks as she shouted, "I DON'T KNOW!"

Sasuke saw her tears of guilt and sadness and his eyes softened, then hardened again as he glared at Naruto. He slugged the other boy across the cheek, making him fall on his butt.

"Ow! What'd you do that for?" Naruto complained.

"You made Kirei cry," Sasuke stated, frowning. "Why are you criticizing her for her own excellence? She already feels bad enough, quit putting her down." He then looked at her, a proud smile appearing on his face. "Kirei, don't feel guilty. You were able to improve the most during the Chunin Exam and it paid off. I'm proud of what you've done. Congratulations on making Chunin."

She flew into his arms, sobbing into his shoulder. "Oh Sasuke…"

He patted her back. "I know, Kirei. I'm not mad or anything. It just surprised me for a moment."

Naruto grumbled, "You're making her cry, too."

Sasuke snorted. "If you actually knew her as well as I do, then you would know she cries for different reasons. These are happy tears, blockhead."

"Don't call me that, bastard!"

Kirei sniffed, rubbing her cheek against her beau's before standing up straight. "Naruto-kun, I would appreciate it if you didn't call Sasuke that."

Naruto scowled, but didn't say anything as she walked out.

* * *

With these fics I pair my character up with Sasuke, you never know if I'll follow the canon or not. For Sakura lovers, I apologize for replacing her with my OC! I love you anyways!

You know what to do!

Please review!


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!

I guess I should say I'm sorry to those who are reading my fics, I got sick for a while and couldn't even look at the computer screen! But I'm back now!

Enjoy this new installment!

* * *

She was on a mission with other Chunin when she heard the news. It brought tears of sorrow and disappointment to her eyes. Sasuke had defected to the Hidden Village of Sound…to Orochimaru…he had nearly killed Naruto…

Stopping for a moment, she let herself cry.

"What's wrong, Kirei-san?" one of her comrades asked.

Her hand came up and wiped the tears away. She shook her head and answered, "Nothing. Let's go on."

_Well, I know that it's early _

_and it's too hard to think _

_And the broken empty bottles _

_are reminder in the sink_

_But I thought that I should tell you _

_if it's not too late to say _

_I can put back all the pieces _

_they just might not fit the same _

_Cause nothing's worth losing _

_Especially the chance to make it right _

_And I know that we're gonna be fine _

_And the tattooed mistakes _

_are gonna fade over time _

_As long as we live, time passes by _

_And we won't get it back when we die _

_Well I know it's been years now _

_and I don't look the same _

_And the hopes and dreams you had for me _

_you thought went down the drain _

_And the room feels so empty _

_where my pictures used to be _

_And I can't say that I blame you _

_but you can't blame me _

'_Cause nothing's worth losing _

_Especially the chance to make it right _

_And I know that we're gonna be fine _

_And the tattooed mistakes _

_are gonna fade over time _

_As long as we live, time passes by _

_And we won't get it back when we die _

_Come over _

_Come over _

'_Cause I gotta know _

_If I am doing this all on my own _

_Come over _

_Come over _

_How can I show you if you're not here? _

_And I know that we're gonna be fine _

_And the tattooed mistakes _

_are gonna fade over time _

_As long as we live, time passes by _

_And we won't get it back when we die _

_And I know that we're gonna be fine _

_(And I know that we're gonna be fine) _

_And the tattooed mistakes _

_are gonna fade over time _

_As long as we live, time passes by _

_And we won't get it back when we die _

_Come over _

_Come over _

_Come over _

_Come over _

_(I gotta know) _

_And we won't get it back when we die _

_(Well, I know that it's early...)_

(Bowling for Soup - When We Die)

* * *

Here you go! This wasn't too much text wise, but I thought it was a song that really goes with this and the next chapter!

Even though it isn't much...

Please review!


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!

Those who have seen the newest episodes of Naruto, they were awesome! I hope that my newest chapter pleases you all!

Enjoy!

* * *

Three years passed and she became a jonin, and was studying and training to become part of the ANBU. Her heart ached every night as she thought of what could've been. Her sixteenth birthday was coming up, and she knew she would become part of the ANBU before then. She was a natural at so many things, that she was soaring through the ranks, but she didn't dare to try for the title of Hokage. Naruto would kill her if she did. Plus she didn't know nearly enough techniques to even consider it.

Quite a few of her new friends had become Chunin, including Naruto. It had taken every Chunin Exam, but he finally got what he was supposed to do. He had become powerful, more so than her, but, even he admitted that she was more well-rounded when it came to brains and brawn. She kept her thoughts of Sasuke at a minimum so she could concentrate; only letting it out when she was in her own home at night. It was still a secret that she and Sasuke had been girlfriend and boyfriend, because she didn't talk about it.

"Kirei-chan!"

She turned to see Naruto, a smile coming to her face. "Naruto-kun. It's good to see you."

He grinned, patting her back. "You become prettier every time I see you! If you're not careful, someone's gonna ruin your face just to spite you!"

She chuckled a little, smacking him on the back of the head.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"You shouldn't make fun of me! I'm gonna be an ANBU soon and have a group to come beat you up every time you cross me!"

"I think you over-ranking me isn't fair. I was your sempai once!"

"Yeah, for like three months! You haven't caught up with me since!"

"That's it! Outside, right now!"

"You goofball, we are outside!"

Throughout this, the playful smile on her face didn't fall. He was halfway playing as well, but she always seemed to get to him, no matter how much he tried to play along with her. Naruto had been there when she'd broken down the first time; it had been the saddest thing he'd ever seen. If he ever saw Sasuke again, he would pound the jerk for leading her on and just leaving her like that. He'd figured out on his own that they had been a couple, even though they'd just reached puberty. He also knew that she was still waiting for him to come back and underneath her happy exterior, was the tortured and heartbroken interior.

"Enough with all this, Kirei-chan! It's getting on my nerves!"

She laughed, before winking at him. "Okay, if you want. You want to get some ramen?"

"Yay! Ramen!"

He marched with her to Ichiraku Ramen, buying the most expensive bowl they had, breaking his chopsticks before starting to eat. She picked at her own bowl, looking troubled, like whenever no one was watching.

The shop owner questioned, seeing as he knew her from her frequenting with Naruto, "Kirei-chan, you all right? It's been more often that you've had that look on your face than usual. Something eating at you?"

She looked up at the older man and gave a sad smile. "Soon I'll be sixteen and it'll be exactly three years since it happened."

Naruto pretended to ignore her, since she often confided in the old man and would more often than not say something he wasn't meant to hear.

"Really? Come here and I'll give you free third helpings all three meals. Is there more?"

"Yes. Had he stayed here, I could've been married to him and had my first kid by now. I wouldn't be training to be part of the ANBU. I would've retired or at least put my ninja career on the shelf for a while. My whole life wouldn't have become just a performance, nothing real. I feel like I'm playing a part of a movie and I'm spiraling down to my doom."

"Don't worry about it so much, Kirei-chan. Just live your life how it's been dealt to you. You shouldn't dwell on the past."

"Yeah, I know. Even though that short year was the happiest of my life. Even if I was only thirteen." She sighed and put on a grim expression. "Every year I bring flowers to the monument marking my old teammates' and Sakura-san's names. It's the only grave they have. I wish I could avenge Sakura-san's death, but it would consume me, and I can't end up the same as him."

Naruto nodded in understanding, but didn't say anything. He wanted to see if she would say anything more.

She sighed. "I wish I had the Sharingan so I could use Chidori. Then I would have enough to go assassinate that bastard who took my…" Tears welled up in her eyes, as she continued, "…_Sasuke_…away…"

The shop owner patted her head as she sobbed. "I suppose everyone has suffered from a broken heart at least once in their life." He smiled a little. "Come on, perk up. You're getting tears in your ramen."

Kirei ate as the tears flowed, her face crumpled in sorrow. She knew that crying about it wouldn't do anything, since it only made her feel weak and hollow.

Naruto patted her shoulder and suggested, "Why don't we go for a walk, maybe we could go see Kakashi-sensei!"

Sniffing, she nodded, finishing her ramen. Her weekly tears and ramen intake was the only therapeutic thing she ever did. Any other time he was with her, she just kept it in with a fake smile on her face. If Sasuke ever came back before Orochimaru took his body over, it would break her more than him just dying.

* * *

The day before her birthday, she reached the rank of ANBU. She received a black cloak and white mask with a red stripe, which she put away until she was given a mission.

But when the eve of that day came, she was running laps around the village just to get some stress off. Footsteps shadowed hers, and she stopped in alarm. The footsteps stopped just a foot behind her. She gasped when arms came around her and a voice, deeper than she remembered, whispered, "Happy Birthday."

Her eyes widened in shock. Could it be? Really? Her heart pounded like a drum in her chest. "S…Sasuke?"

She was turned around by the hands, her eyes meeting the familiar dark ones. He smiled at her, as if he'd never left her. But then her instinct as a ninja came back to her, especially since she was part of the ANBU now. Her eyes flew to his forehead protector, which was from Sound Village, and she drew a kunai, getting into attack position.

"Kirei, Kirei, are you really going to kill me?"

"You're an S-classed criminal to Konohagakure! I should call my squad and alert the Hokage at once!"

His eyebrows rose. "You're part of the ANBU now, are you? Impressive."

She swung at him, and he grabbed her wrist. He whispered, "Kirei, I didn't come back to cause trouble or kill anyone. I came back because I promised you something."

Using all her might, she pushed her kunai closer to his heart. He had to die! It was her duty as a ninja to kill him! Then why did her heart squeeze painfully in her chest at these thoughts?

"Kirei, my love for you shines brighter than any star in the heavens. It pierced through the darkness revenge has caused in my heart. I want you to concede to being my wife."

She froze, not believing what she was hearing. Had he just… No! He couldn't have! It was impossible! He was a traitor to Konohagakure! A traitor to _her_!

"I just asked you to marry me, Kirei. This is an early birthday present. The rest will come on and after your birthday."

He leaned down and kissed her, more passionately than she'd ever felt before. Without her consent, she kissed him just as fervently back. Her hold on her weapon loosened and he wrenched it out of her hand, replacing it in her gear pouch. When they parted, he murmured, "So is that a yes?"

She felt so weak against him, and not just physically. Her heart was his to mend or tear apart. "Y-yes…"

And so she too betrayed Konohagakure.

* * *

Did any of you expect that? Sasuke's gotten rather bold to think he can just walk into Konohagakure like that...

And here we are again...

Please review!


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!

Okay, here's the next chapter!

Enjoy!

* * *

Naruto came over in the morning to check on Kirei, raising his hand to knock, it opened at his touch. "What the—that's weird. Kirei-chan never leaves her door unlocked and open like this."

He pushed it open and stepped inside, to nearly fall because his foot slipped on something on the front mat. He looked down and spotted a pair of forehead protectors under his foot. There was Kirei's Konoha one on the top, the other was hidden underneath it. He kicked it out of the way, revealing the other one to be from Sound. His eyes widened in shock, knowing that it couldn't be, not after all this time…

Following the trail of clothes to Kirei's bedroom, he stepped over a pair of boxers and panties in the doorway. His eyes nearly bugged out of his head when he saw Sasuke in bed with Kirei, both fast asleep. He screamed in hatred and shock, waking Sasuke, but not Kirei, who could sleep through anything.

Sasuke put a finger to his lips, before asking, "Why are you being so rude as to interrupt the first good night's sleep I've had in three years, blockhead?"

Naruto screamed at him, "I oughta kill you for many things, which include betraying our friendship, Kirei-chan's love and Konohagakure!"

"I've been blind when it comes to one of those things, but the other two I don't regret."

"I'll tell Tsunade-obaa-chan you're here and she'll have you executed!"

"If you do, Kirei won't just be heartbroken this time, since I'm more than just her boyfriend now. I'm her husband."

"You must have tricked her in some way! She would never marry you after what you did!"

Sasuke sighed and stated, "Even after three years, I know Kirei better than you. Her dream has always been to marry an Uchiha man and have children with Sharingan. You don't know her very well if you don't know that, if at all."

"The only thing keeping me from killing you is that Kirei-chan is asleep! If we were outside, not even she could stop us!"

"Our petty rivalry is nothing to me now, ever since I found my true purpose."

"You're going back to Orochimaru to become his container!"

Sasuke snorted and told Naruto, "That will never happen now, even if I have to fight Orochimaru for my freedom for the rest of my life."

It was at that time that Kirei woke and kissed her husband's lips, whispering, "Good morning, Sasuke."

He cradled her cheek and greeted, "Good morning, Kirei."

Naruto gaped at the exchange in shock. He'd never seen her this happy, even when she'd been with Sasuke before. She looked ready to contest being the sun; she was shining so brightly from happiness. He grumbled, "This is wrong, ninjas from two villages that are mortal enemies married and happy, just wrong."

Kirei looked up and saw him. "Hey Naruto. Why are you here?"

Naruto exploded. "I WAS CONCERNED THAT YOU WOULD BE SAD TODAY AND NEED TO TALK OR JUST HANG OUT! NOW THAT SASUKE'S HERE, EVERYTHING IS FINE AND DANDY AGAIN!"

Sasuke got up. "I have somewhere to go right now, so you can talk with Naruto privately if you want, Kirei."

Naruto shouted, "You shouldn't walk around naked! Put some clothes on!"

Sasuke snorted a laugh. "Idiot, why not? The only ones here are either male or married to me." He tossed his wife a bathrobe, "Your clothes are in the laundry basket, love," then left.

"Goodbye, Sasuke!" Kirei called, a content smile on her face. "Please turn around, Naruto; I'm getting out of bed."

A blush on his cheeks, he turned, and then asked, "Why did you instantly forgive the bastard who ruined your life?"

She glared at him as she straightened her bathrobe and stepped out into her tiny living room. "I had my issues with _Sasuke_ at first, but then I saw that he didn't mean to hurt me. Sasuke loves me more than anything in the world, even his revenge seems meaningless in comparison."

"He could be using you for Orochimaru's sake, just to get valuable information out of you."

"No, he wouldn't. He didn't even say a thing about my duties as an ANBU. Besides, we didn't talk much most of the night. Too busy."

Naruto gagged and yelled, "You said way too much there!" **A/N: TMI! Lol!**

"I've had my thoughts about betraying my husband and setting a trap for him, but I know he's sincere about loving me. Love is a powerful thing, and it washes away all doubts."

Naruto knocked on her head, looking at her suspiciously. "Sasuke must've knocked your brains loose or something."

"I haven't lost my marbles! I'm fine, and you'll understand when you get married!" she snapped.

"I at least am going to marry a girl within Konohagakure," he muttered.

"Naruto-kun, it's my birthday and you'll either say nice things or not say anything at all."

She went to the laundry basket and got her clothes, jacket and forehead protector. She went and got dressed in her room, before turning to Naruto. "You coming with me or moping over this?"

He frowned at her, but followed her as she went to the ramen shop, ordering ramen for the both of them. When they got their bowls, the owner smiled at her. "Happy Birthday, Kirei-chan."

"Thank you!" she replied cheerfully, chipper after so long.

"And why are you so upbeat today?"

She smiled genuinely at the question. "I've received a priceless present from a special person in my heart."

"Who is this special person?"

"It's a secret."

She finished her ramen, all three helpings, with much fervor, and then went to Ino's flower shop. At the moment she entered, Ino looked up, smiling at her friend.

"Happy Birthday, Kirei-chan!" the blonde woman chirped, and then kissed her best friend on her forehead before giving her a bouquet of the shop's best flowers. "I haven't seen you this happy since before Sasuke-kun left. What's gotten you so up?"

"I was given a priceless present from a special friend," Kirei claimed, her smile wistful.

Ino looked towards Naruto, who was glowering. She shrugged and turned back to her friend. "Well, whatever happened to you, I hope it lasts. You probably have plenty of places to go, so I shouldn't keep you."

Kirei nodded and turned away. "Thanks Ino-chan for the flowers! Bye!"

"Bye!"

Some of the other friends she visited bestowed gifts on her, including Shikamaru, who gave her a shogi set and played a game with her. He buried her this time. Naruto had the same sour expression on for the rest of the day, until she was eating her third helping of ramen for dinner like it was the best meal of her life.

When they were headed back to her house, he demanded, "Would you stop and pay attention to me already?"

"What do you want? I'll ignore you if you're being a grouch. I'm happy, _overjoyed_, and my best guy friend doesn't want me to be."

"You shouldn't be happy with an enemy, even if it's _Sasuke_!" he snarled.

"Love is irrational sometimes."

"You should be thinking about what's right with your head, not your heart!"

She stopped and asked in a quiet tone, "Is this your birthday present to me?"

He jerked in surprise. "No." He then held out a flat, rectangular package to her.

She took it and ripped the paper off before gasping in surprise. It was a composite picture in a frame of all her friends, including one in the middle of her, Sasuke, Naruto and Kakashi. She hugged her friend and kissed him on the cheek as thanks.

"Your memories of the past are just as important as the present, and I'll always be your best friend, even if I hate who you married."

She smiled and waved goodbye to him as he walked away. She took the picture and gifts inside, placing the flowers in a vase of water, and most of the others scattered around her house. But the picture, she placed it on her drawers with the rest of her photos.

"That's a very nice picture," Sasuke commented from behind her.

She held her silver locket before turning and letting him kiss her senseless.

**

* * *

Sigh**...too bad this couldn't have happened in the manga, Sasuke returning and helping fight the enemy, instead of becoming one of them... Stupid Sasuke...

For you Sasuke fans, I apologize in advance...SASUKE SUCKS!

That felt good, but that's all your opinion on who you like in the series, I'm just practicing the freedom of speech...

Please review!


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!

This is the last chapter...**tears up**...well, let's get this puppy going!

Enjoy!

* * *

This odd routine of her performing missions and such during the day and spending her nights with her husband continued before she started feeling weird: sleeping a lot, food tasting wrong, having odd bouts of hysterical crying. Sasuke was concerned and voiced it often. But she didn't think anything of it until she was in the middle of a mission and just collapsed.

Her comrades jumped after her and one of them, the healer of their group, caught her. "Kirei-san! Are you all right?"

She shook her head and pulled her mask off, panting. "I just feel so weak right now, and I've been having such strange things happening to me these days."

"Your heartbeat is a little faster than normal and you're sweating profusely. We should get you back to Konohagakure so we can find out what's wrong with you."

Deciding the mission had to be canceled, her squad headed back to Konohagakure with all speed. When they arrived, they went to report to Tsunade about Kirei's health. The instant Tsunade saw her, she came to her and checked her over.

"Hmmm…considering your lifestyle, this is odd for you. You seem to be pregnant, Kirei-san."

While her comrades froze in shock and disbelief, Kirei smiled, knowing this was the happiest thing that had happened to her ever since she'd married Sasuke.

Tsunade noticed her joyful look and asked, "Would you please explain how you've become like this when you're unmarried?"

Kirei cradled her cheek and sighed in contentment. "I've been secretly married for three months now to the most wonderful man in the world. He'll be pleased about this, I'm sure."

The Hokage sighed and shook her head at her ecstatic ANBU ninja. "Because of this, I'll have to have you temporarily retire until you're able to perform your duties without any problems. May I ask who you're married to?"

Kirei turned away, the smile still on her face. "I'm afraid that revealing his identity isn't within my power. It's a secret."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes and demanded, "As your Hokage, I order you to tell me, or I'll find out by having you watched every minute."

"Tsunade-sama…I'm sorry, but I can't."

She walked out, only to hear one of her fellow ANBU comment, "You'd think she was married to an S-class criminal or something."

"If she was, then she would've reported them. We won't have any S-class criminals living in Konohagakure," Tsunade stated.

At that, Kirei used all her speed to get to her house by nightfall. If she didn't warn Sasuke to stay away, she would never be able to see him ever again. She knew she was being followed, but knew she would have at least a couple of minutes before she was caught. She jumped through an open window to her room, where she sensed her beloved husband was awaiting her return. She felt his arms enclose around her, but she started pushing him towards the door.

"Kirei? What's wrong?"

"No time! I can't have them kill you or finding out who you are!"

"Other ANBU?"

"Please, just go!"

He sighed and murmured, "I love you," before disappearing.

She heaved a sigh and held her chest, then stomach. She was loyal to Konohagakure, but her child was half Sound, half Konoha. As Naruto said, it was wrong, but she couldn't help it. Her love for her husband would thrive, even if she was watched for the rest of her life and he couldn't return because of it. Not unless he took her away with him.

* * *

A couple months later the village's ninja were buzzing that she was pregnant with a criminal's child and that she was watched round the clock. Sasuke had kept his distance, not even knowing she was pregnant. It was often that she was visited by Tsunade, just to try to worm the information out of her.

"Kirei-san, I've tested your baby's DNA and I know its father is Uchiha. Do I have to ask who it is? Sasuke or Itachi?"

Her eyes drifted about the room. "Why should I tell you? Both of them are S-class criminals, so what does it matter? Even if you knew who it was, then what? Hunt them down and get some good ninjas killed? Both of them are too formidable to take on, even in groups. And whoever it is wasn't killing anybody or causing trouble, so what was the harm of him being here?"

Tsunade suddenly remembered something. "It's Sasuke, isn't it?"

Kirei winced, knowing she was found out. She'd thought that no one but Naruto knew about her and Sasuke before he'd betrayed Konohagakure. He was a rogue Sound ninja, willing to turn his back on Orochimaru for her. Probably he was being searched out by many Sound ninja and the Akatsuki, since he'd joined forces with Orochimaru for near three years.

"Kirei-san, you know that he won't be here much longer, that Orochimaru is going to take him as a container! It doesn't matter how much you love him, he has to be killed so that Orochimaru doesn't get what he wants!"

"Sasuke isn't in league with Orochimaru anymore. In fact, he's on the run from his men and the Akatsuki."

"If that's so, then why didn't he try to get back in our good graces?"

"Because, in the worst case scenario, he wouldn't have time or you would condemn him to spend the rest of his life in prison or have him executed. And what protection does Konohagakure have to give him from more dangerous forces? We would be at war if he did that, and we would lose. Konohagakure would be leveled in a manner of days. Every ninja would either be killed or captured. It doesn't matter if we have allies or anything, because Akatsuki and Sound would wipe us out."

"I would at least want to speak with him, see how he feels about this. He may want to become a Konoha ninja again. I suppose you have some way to contact him."

Kirei nodded and got up, her smile a bit strained as she picked up a wireless headset, pressing a button on it and whispering, "Sasuke?"

"_Yes?"_

"Um…Tsunade-sama wishes to speak with you."

There was a pause before he answered. _"Are you sure it's not a trap to lure me out?"_

"I don't know, but I don't think so. Can you come right now?"

"_I'm on my way."_

She pressed the button again and murmured, "What am I going to tell him? I'm happy that perhaps he might be able to live with me openly…but there will be so much trouble for Konohagakure if its found out he's here…"

Before she could count to ten, she felt his arms around her. His hands came to rest on her rounded stomach, and he whispered, "Please don't hide something like this from me again."

She nodded and tensed when Tsunade stood and approached them.

"Uchiha Sasuke. Why have you returned?"

He looked up at the female Hokage and smirked. "I'd promised Kirei that I would marry her and fulfill her dreams. I would turn my back on everything that I am just for her to be happy."

"Then, for her, would you become a Konoha ninja again?"

Sasuke didn't hesitate. "Of course. I've been thinking about it, but didn't know how it would be taken."

Tsunade nodded. "Well then, I'll make you an honorary ANBU member, under your wife. You are to watch her and yourself because if she's captured by the enemy, they'll probably do anything to her so you'll surrender."

Sasuke nodded, taking off his Sound forehead protector and tossing it at the Hokage's feet. "I accept all conditions and I will also let you execute me should I ever be tempted in becoming an enemy again."

Tsunade held out a Konoha forehead protector and he took it, tying it around his head. "Agreed. Please don't do anything that will force me to take action."

She left and ordered the ANBU watching Kirei to leave. Kirei took a deep breath, and then turned to her husband. "It's just starting, isn't it?"

He nodded. "But I won't let anything happen to you or the baby. Are you feeling all right?"

Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she hugged him. "I thought I would never see you again, that you would be killed! Don't leave me again, even if it's for the greater good!"

After a moment, he pressed his forehead against hers. "I promise never to leave you again. I can see it isn't good for you to suffer needlessly. I love you so much."

"I love you more than my own life," she whispered.

* * *

A huge war was fought over Sasuke, but because Konohagakure had two of the Legendary Sannin, Orochimaru was silenced forever, and the rest of the Hidden Village of Sound was scattered and hunted. The Akatsuki were outnumbered, the alliance of countries too strong for them to survive once their hideout was found. Sasuke killed Itachi himself, to protect his village and Naruto, who they had been after.

But most importantly, Sasuke never had to worry about his cursed mark again. It didn't vanish, but never hurt him anymore.

* * *

Does that seem rather open-ended to you? Of course! This story has a sequel! Get ready for the next one and final story of this series!

For the last time in this story...

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